Paper to CAD bussiness at home ?? 2

[Ropdoc]

Hello all,

I apologize. I know that this is not the right thread to post here but I am getting near the end of my rope. I want to start a bussiness from my home doing conversions from Paper to CAD. I am tired of office politics and so on. I have been in the Engineering world since early 1980s. All I am asking for is a chance.

Can anyone give me good advice on how to make contacts and get started? My background is Mechanical Design. I have worked in Medical, Aerospace, and Military design.

Thank you,
Dave

 

[AnnaWood]

You might try reading the threads in this forum first, then asking some questions after a bit of research.

http://www.eng-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=784

Cheers,



Anna Wood
Anna Built Workstation, Core i7 EE965, FirePro V8700, 12 gigs of RAM, OCZ Vertex 120 Gig SSD
SW2010 SP0, Windows 7

http://www.solidmuse.com

http://www.phxswug.com

 

[NomLaser]

I think that this market will be difficult to sell these days. 10-15 years ago it would have been much more popular. You might find a few companies willing to farm this out but I wouldn't count on it as a solid income. CAD has been out for quite sometime and solid modeling is nearly commonplace among the exempt industry. I know some consultants that have done conversions in the past but it was more just a service that they offered.

If I were you I would focus mostly on larger companies that have been in business for a good while. They will most likely have parts that need converted to some format.

Another thing to think about is what package(s) are you going to need? AutoCAD is popular for some industries, while Pro/E and SolidWorks are for others. Are you going to purchase the most popular packages so you can offer services to as many people as possible? Don't forget you will need to not only pay for the seat of the software but also yearly maintenance fees.

Good luck with starting the business and hope to hear that you are successful.

 

[ctopher]

During this 'recession', more companies are contracting employees. You can get a business license, laptop, and software and start working for these companies. You can expand from there. Get your name out everywhere...Facebook, Linkedin, etc.

Chris
SolidWorks 09 SP4.1
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[Ropdoc]

Well thank you for your advice and info. I was worried when I saw the first responce.

I purchased AutoCAD years ago and just purchased Solidworks.

 

[TheTick]

At this point, I don't think there's a lot of paper left that's in a hurry to be converted.

If you think your boss is a jerk, wait until you have a customer.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

... especially when you ask them for payment.

 

[BodyBagger]

Not sure where you are located but in Chicago there is the National Design & Engineering show every year. Basically a large venue for suppliers and vendors to showcase their products. If you have something like this in your area you could go armed with some business cards and brochures describing your business. These shows are usually free for attendees.

Hope this helps.

 

[AnnaWood]

RopDoc,

You will want to expand your focus way beyond Paper to CAD conversions. As others have suggested there is probably not a lot of that work around anymore. Also a lot of people will contract overseas for that type of work at lower cost.

Along with doing some reading on the forum I suggested you need to get out and network, network, network....

You will want to become an active participant in the forums for whatever software packages you are planning to support in your business. Get out to user groups meetings, trade group meetings, conventions, etc. Get on LinkedIn and participate in the forums there.

It is very much all about the people you know and the contacts you make. People need to know that you are a knowledgable professional and you can offer them value for the work they need completed.

Get yourself a website and make sure it looks very professional. Start to build a business identity for yourself with your website and the content there.

Do not quit your day job until you have a good base of customers that will allow you to support your lifestyle.

Heed TheTick's advice very carefully.... Bosses and office politics is easy compared to some customers. Do not under estimate the work required to run a business and support yourself.

Being your own boss can be very rewarding. I envy those that are successful at growing their own business. It is something I am working to do in the future as I get closer to retiring from the 9-5 grind.

Good luck in your endevours.

Cheers,



Anna Wood
Anna Built Workstation, Core i7 EE965, FirePro V8700, 12 gigs of RAM, OCZ Vertex 120 Gig SSD
SW2010 SP0, Windows 7

http://www.solidmuse.com

http://www.phxswug.com

 

[WH74]

Other direction to look into is the resellers. For the software that is still sold by resellers, like SW, use them for potential contacts and see if they would like to work with you too. Also try to team up with other looking to do them same thing, in case you get a lot of work that you can't handle in a tight time frame. Check to see what over sea's company's charge so you can be competitive. There rates are pretty low but if u can offer a much more personalized service, especially if its for local companies face time makes it easier to sell your self.

 

[cobra46]

If you want to work for yourself, I would think it would be easier doing freelance design work.

 

[GregLocock]

We used to pay tracers about half of what we paid CAD designers. Then there is the lovely part about who is responsible for checking that the CAD matches the print, and then there is the even more exciting point of whose job is it to sort out the CAD when the print is wrong?



Cheers

Greg Locock

SIGlease see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[beachcomber]

Quote.......
"During this 'recession', more companies are contracting employees"
Unfortunately I don't think this is the case in the UK.
I have been contracting (freelancing) for 20 years and it is harder to find contracts than ever before. Earlier this year was the first time I have really been unemployed.
Contractors are usually the first to be fired when work-loads drop.
The ones that are advertising for contractors tend to be looking for senior and expert roles, not draftsmen/cad designers.
I have applied for jobs in the last few months where there have been over 100 applicants for 1 post.


bc.
2.4GHz Core2 Quad, 4GB RAM,
Quadro FX4600.